The Bear And The Mare

Chapter 4: Recuperation

Ursa entered the home of that belonged to the mare he first met.

The living room was rather spacious, yet cozy at the same time. A large, orange rug with a dark flower on the center covered the entrance and an assortment of green seats were at the far back, one of them being a sofa. Multiple bird cages were hung on the wall of the door entrance: one pink, one lavender and one that was a bird cage. A bookshelf was situated under the staircase which was to Ursa's left.

The injured bear sat on his haunches on the rug, partially staining it from the dirt that had accumulated on his feet.

"Stay here, um..." Twilight pondered the bear's name. She couldn't name him an Ursa Minor, since he has already proven that he wasn't one, both in speaking and his appearance.

"Ulfsaar, but you may call me Ursa." He replied.

"Ok, stay here Ursa, Fluttershy and I will get some bandages for you." She nudged her head to the pegasus and they trotted away on the doorway to the left.

The room was filled with a deathly silence as Ursa and two mares sat/stood, neither species were daring enough to break the veil. Ursa looked at the mare who tried to hit him. Her ears had folded and her beetroot irises stared down the sickly green floor. Initial thoughts suggested that she was still hung over from what just happened, due to the sudden change in her behavior.

Ursa's view shifted to the alabaster mare with the magenta mane. Her eyes had widened with curiosity, staring at the alien in front of her eyes, it shifted positions every once in a while, taking up more notes on the bear that Fluttershy brought home. Her mane shifted on one side as she tilted her head, studying him to no end.

"May I ask for your name, m'lady?" Ursa bowed his head as he questioned the awestruck mare, who seemed to be surprised at the words coming from his mouth. He waited patiently for her composure to straighten as she readied her answer.

"M-mistress Rarity."

Ursa bowed his head once more before turning to the cyan pegasus, waiting for her reply. Her reaction was moot. Like a statue, her movements ceased of any reaction to his question.

"Come on Rainbow Dash, he is obviously not worried about your actions earlier. Just tell him your name!" Rarity admonished her friend.

With a slight turn on Rainbow's head, she faced the mare who revealed her name without her needing to reply.

"Well, at least he knows now." Rarity forced a smile as she shut her eyes, partially embarrassed at the situation. Ursa shuffled over to the cyan mare, a look of pity on his muzzle surfaced.

"There is no need to sulk for something that you did for the wrong reasons." Ursa ruffled her technicolor mane, earning a blush from the element of loyalty. He gazed at her cerise irises, searching for the lively mare he saw earlier. Rainbow Dash reciprocated the action, staring at the gentle creature in front of her, and not the terrifying bear that she assumed him to be.

"We're back!" Came the voice of Twilight. Her lavender magic held a towel and a bucket from the doorway whilst Fluttershy sauntered over with a roll of bandages in her mouth. She settled beside Ursa, with Rainbow on the other side of him. She dropped the roll of bandages from her mouth and began to nuzzle Ursa as she reassured him.

"Don't worry, you'll feel better once we're done. Rainbow Dash, have you apologized to him?" Fluttershy spoke.

"Not yet..." Rainbow muttered.

"Well, you'll have to do it soon, because you'll be leaving to take care of the weather soon, right?" She replied. Dash nodded simply as her sights returned to the floor once more.

Twilight faced Ursa as she placed the bucket and the towel beside her. She pondered for a short while, presumably from trying to think of the healing spell. Her face brightened as she found out how to do it.

"Alright, Ursa. I'm going to use a simple healing spell that I learned from the few medical books in my library. Now, this might hurt a bit, what with it forcefully closing your wounds and all, but you'll feel more relaxed after that."

Ursa nodded as he braced himself for the magic that would be thrust unto him for healing purposes. Twilight's horn glowed as she shut her eyes. The same lavender aura that Ursa saw earlier now enveloped him.

He felt sharp, hot stings as his wounds burned off the black, infected scabs. Smoke emanated from it's remains as Twilight gritted her teeth, suffering over such a simple spell. Slight sounds of sizzling are heard, and a particularly undesirable odor infiltrated the surrounding mare's nostrils.

The stinging soon ended as was immediately replaced with a numbing feeling as Ursa stared at the glowing wounds. A green glow came from them as he felt the presence of ice on them. Ursa cooed, elated that the unbearing pain has quickly subsided. He smiled at the unicorn who healed him, before proceeding to nuzzle her muzzle.

Twilight blushed at his actions. "I-it was only a simple healing spell, you know." She stuttered as she smiled at him.

"It was amazing no less, your talents have saved me, Twilight Sparkle." Ursa replied. He looked at Fluttershy, who was already bandaging the sites where his healed wounds were. He was thankful that a world like this gave him such helpful creatures. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the right decision for him.

However, there were some thoughts that still lingered on his mind. Thoughts that pestered him to no end. What they were could only be known by him, and only him, for it was too embarrassing to speak about it with such kind mares.

Half an hour passes by, and the the bandaged bear was now happily sitting on the rug, conversing with Fluttershy. The bunny that he saw earlier was now being petted by her as they spoke about their lives.

The others had left a few minutes ago: Rainbow Dash leaving for the weather team that would be taking action in a few hours; Twilight Sparkle teleporting back to her library to continue with her studies, and finally Rarity doing the same as Twilight (albeit for reasons other than 'studying').

"Does anyone miss you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Sadly, no." Ursa replied.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that from now on. You've got 6 new friends that are going to help you in this world!" Fluttershy squeed, projecting an elated face at the bear.

"6? I have only seen four of your kind so far." Ursa tilted his head in confusion.

"Oh, you've yet to meet Applejack and Pinkie Pie, but I'm sure they will warm up to you. You're a kind creature after all."

"If you have ever seen me in battle over in my world, you'd realise that I would be anything but kind." Ursa frowned.

Fluttershy scooted closer to him, sitting on his lap as she stared at his eyes.

"You are kind. If you weren't, then you wouldn't have saved me and my little baby here." Fluttershy hugged Ursa, sandwhiching Angel between their furry bodies, much to his dismay.

Ursa felt her warmth as she hugged his large size. Her head gently rubbed on his bare chest. Her silky mane tickled his fur as he felt the air of the Everfree forest from it. Such kindness has never been presented to him, and for some reason, strange feelings emerged from deep inside.

He felt...a strong need to return her actions.

He felt...a strange attraction to her kindness, like a moth to a light.

He felt...as though he had feelings for her.